Getting Away With Mischief
by OneOfTheWeasleys
Summary: Mirthful. Nettlesome. Mischievous. Three words that perfectly describe three best friends. - Fred/George/OC
1. Prologue

**Getting Away With Mischief  
written by:** OneoftheWeasleys

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**Chapter One: Prologue **

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The calming shadows of darkness were slowly beginning to creep over the village of Ottery St. Catchpole as the warm summer's sun began to dip behind the large hills that surrounded the lush, green valley. Its many shops, ranging from a small bookstore to a very cluttered antique emporium, were all closed for the day as the people of the village had declared every Sunday a holiday that was to be spent with their families.

Its villagers willingly ventured out onto their front porches, each taking advantage of the cool breeze that was passing through and savoring the chance to speak to their fellow neighbors. Their children played happily out on the streets:kicking balls, playing a large game of tag, and chasing after the birds that happened to fly too low. In the not too far distance, on the grassy meadows that outlined the village, a group of young boys played a rough and dirty game of football next to a billowing willow tree. However, unknown to them, the lads were not alone.

A young girl, not a day older than eleven, hovered cautiously behind the large willow's branches while watching the boys yell and chase after the white ball that they kicked around. She had been there for hours, watching but not involving herself with the boys and their scrimmage. That's what she always did. Look but never play. The girl's mother had made her swear to never get involved with the village people. It was a drastic step to ensure the secrets of her family would not be revealed to the ignorant villagers.

'_Good heavens, they bloody suck_!' she thought snidely. She wanted to jump out from behind the tree that hid her presence and show the boys the meaning of football. Just because she didn't know every rule about the Muggle game, it did not mean that she couldn't show them a few of her own skills when it came to sports. She possessed a skill that none of them could ever imagine.

However, the girl decided that it was best to listen to her mother and she took a seat at the base of the trunk, her hands planted in the green grass as she continued to watch but not play in the small match.

Stephanie Leone could be described in a single word - tomboy. Her long brown hair was always up in a tight ponytail and her fingernails had never been painted, much to the dismay of her laced up mother. She loved getting her hands dirty, and found it a hassle to wear dresses or skirts because of the limited movement they enforced. She also hated jewelry with a passion, finding it a stupid gift to give or receive. It was a pure waste of money in her opinion. This was slightly problematic for her mother thought that jewelry was an essential part of life. Stephanie never enjoyed playing with dolls or makeup but was more interested in sports and rockets because she had grown up with two brothers.

A swoosh next to Stephanie's ear broke her reverie. Her heart must have skipped a beat when she realized that the sudden rush of air was from the ball that the boys had been playing with. She quickly stumbled towards the ball and stared at the motionless object deciding what she wanted to do, '_Well they know I'm here now, maybe they'll let me join in.__' _She decided to take a chance and retrieved the ball.

"Oi! Toss it here," a boy with shaggy blond hair called to her. The other boys quickly huddled around him, each curious to see who was fetching their ball. Stephanie emerged from behind the tree and stood in front of the boys, cradling their ball under one arm while shoving a piece of loose hair back behind her ear.

"Do you think I could play?" Stephanie asked, continuing to walk towards the group of boys. She stopped a few feet short of them as they began to laugh. It made her insides squirm to be mocked and if these boys knew her better, they would not have done it so obviously.

"Girls do not play football," sneered a blond boy, with pale skin and blue eyes as he snatched the ball from Stephanie's hands. _'Honestly…' she thought to herself. 'Can they be more subtle?!' _A few of the boy's clapped him on the back for his remarkably 'original' girl jibe while the others ran back to their positions on the field.

Stephanie sighed and, as calm as she could, said, "I may be a girl but I can play football better than half of you. Now let me play!"

The blond boy sneered, "You're a Leone girl aren't you?" He didn't wait for a response but continued, "Isn't your mom the one with all the frills and bows? As though _her _daughter could ever play football." The other boys jeered in agreement.

In both anger and embarrassment at her family history as well as the attack on her ego, Stephanie reached for her back pocket and clasped her fingers around a newly polished, thin wooden stick. "Now you're going to get it," she mumbled, brandishing her wand in front of the boys.

An uproar of laughter from the young lads angered Stephanie more and the sneering blond boy, quickly yelled at her, "You're even crazier than what my mum said!"

"Yeah, we don't live in no fairyland loopy Leone!" another catcalled which was followed by more annoying laughter. The boys turned their backs on Stephanie, calling her names that dealt with her being crazy over their shoulders as they retreated.

"Crazy? I'll show you crazy," she muttered angrily, waving her wand in a large circle and bringing it down with a harsh slice.

"I hope you weren't thinking of using that." The man's voice made Stephanie jump slightly and stutter on the curse she intended to blast at the boys, making it shoot out sparks of blue and green that smelled of burnt hair. She turned around to find her father, his hands crossed over his chest and the edge of his lips curved into a slight smile as he stood hidden behind the blanket of branches and leaves.

Ralph Leone was a tall man, with a built figure and calloused hands from years of hard work. His head was bald and shiny in the bright sunlight and his blue eyes were as light as the sky above. Ralph was the best at both worlds when it came to repairing objects since he was a Muggle born, his specialty being automobiles and broomsticks. Stephanie admired his never-ending hard work, his constant helping of others and his uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere to intervene before one of his children, usually Stephanie, did something drastic. This was one of those moments. "I just bought that wand for you and you're already trying to hex people," he stated, his eyes glistening as if laughing affectionately at his daughter.

"They said girls couldn't play football! I just wanted to teach them a lesson for saying it, that's all," she replied, slightly guilty.

"You've been wanting a wand for as long as I can remember," said her father, taking the girl by the shoulder and leading her away from the tree and the troublesome boys, who had continued to play their game. "It surprises me that you're willing to risk it over a few boys that teased you." The girl smiled happily up at her father as he pulled her into a tight side hug.

"Maybe next time, I'll set a rocket on them," Stephanie mused with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Now that's the girl I know," laughed her father, "that's my little girl." The two walked up some large hills before arriving at the Leone residence. Many vibrant green trees and rosy red bushes surrounded the beige, cottage-styled home with red trim. Small light fixtures that her father had placed to guide people at night outlined a brick path that led from the dirt road to the front porch. Stephanie's mother could not understand the need for the Muggle lights, since she was raised as a witch.

_'A few fairies will do the trick and cost nothing,"_ she had said when Ralph brought home the purchased lights from the local Muggle store. But Ralph just smiled and shook his head. He always enjoyed the work and look of the 'Muggle way'.

To the far left, her father's large garage was separated from the house and for good reason. Noises, ranging from bangs to booms, were constantly erupting from the building and the smell of smoldering metal always lingered in the air. The breeze that was passing through the village had made it's way towards the Leone's home, and it looked as if someone had thrown open the windows to welcome it in.

"Best get back inside before your mother finds out that you left," stated Ralph, giving his daughter a light pat on the back before retreating down a second path that led to his garage and the home of his repairing business. Stephanie slipped in through the front door and quietly made her way up to her bedroom on the second floor without letting her mother hear.

As she entered, Stephanie glanced to her left where her trunk remained unpacked next to her bed, with large books piled to one side with quills and inkbottles scattered around it. An alarm clock of her favorite Quidditch team, the Kenmare Kestrels, sat on the small nightstand that was positioned on the other side of the bed. Both large and small posters of her favorite musical bands from the sixties and seventies were plastered upon her walls. They ranged from The Rollin' Pebbles to The What and even though their greatest songs had hit number one long before she was born, she still loved them all the same.

She sulkily edged towards her trunk, the members of The Junebugs giving her thumbs up as she began to toss her school items carelessly into the open trunk. Ever so often, she stopped to sing along with a tune on the WWN to distract her mind from the endless chore.

At dusk, the doorbell rang and through Stephanie's half opened door, the sound of a people chatting could be heard from downstairs. A commercial began to play, _'Homfers, the little creatures that do everything for you. From cleaning your room to editing your papers, there is nothing a Homfer can't do.'_ Stephanie took the time during the commercials to take a break from her cleaning and headed downstairs for a glass of water. As Stephanie came closer to the kitchen, she paused to press her ear against the door and listen to the voices within.

"I most definitely agree, Molly," the voice of her mother, Carol, chirped. Carol was a medium sized woman with short hair that she colored red and bewitched to stay straight. Stephanie looked just like her mother but their personalities could not be more different. Carol always made sure her clothes were ironed well, her nails painted and trimmed, and jewelry was her favorite thing, well second to owning her antique shop in the local wizarding village, Diagon Alley.

Bustling could be heard as Carol rushed to the whistling teapot, and took it from the burner, pouring Molly and herself a cup of tea. After handing Molly her cup, Carol resumed her seat at the breakfast table and continued, "I'm having the same problems with Stephanie. All she ever wants to do is blow something up or," she paused for effect, "figure out another way to make Nicholas cry."

Stephanie laughed silently to herself at the last bit that her mother had said. Stephanie had tried many times, but failed miserably, to get Nicholas to be her accomplice in pranks that took place at home. But all that he cared about was a stupid video game system that his Muggle friends had bought for him on his eighth birthday. _'The boy clearly has no ambition,' _Stephanie thought.

"Well what did we expect," said Molly after taking a sip of her tea, "We practically raised them to be best friends. And it didn't help when your brother decided to open that—that shop of his." Stephanie loved how rebellious her uncle was and she wanted to be just like him. The shop they spoke of was 'Gambol and Japes'. It was a joke shop in Diagon Alley.

During the summer, Stephanie stayed with her uncle and aunt above the shop and she loved every second of it. Between learning how to make easy rockets and finding ways to sneak some of the not-so-normal candy into the shopper's drinks as they walked by, there wasn't a memory she would ever forget. Every time she returned home, she would bring sacks filled to the brim with gadgets, rockets, and candies. She made sure she hid them in her secret room before her parents found out and took them away.

"I just hope Dumbledore can straighten them out a little," stated Carol. Stephanie decided she had eavesdropped enough, and continued into the kitchen, surprising both women with her sudden appearance.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," grinned Stephanie. Mrs. Weasley returned her greeting with a smile.

Molly was a short, plump woman with shoulder length red hair and was the essence of a motherly figure. She knitted her own clothes, along with many sweaters for her seven children's, cleaned constantly, and was usually found over her kitchen stove cooking a new meal. But she loved it, as she told Stephanie's mother constantly when questioned by Carol if she wanted to get away from the kids for a few days.

"Hello dear," she replied, shifting in her chair to get a better look at Stephanie, "lovely day, isn't it?"

"Sort of," shrugged Stephanie, "I hate that summer is already over. But I guess Hogwarts'll be fun."

"Yes, it will be," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "I still wish I was there. Your mother and I used to spend almost every afternoon by the lake—er—studying of course." Stephanie highly doubted her mother ever studied. From the stories Stephanie had heard from her father, Carol was quite the social queen and usually spent most of her time hanging out with boys and her best friend, Molly Weasley. "You'll have fun," continued Mrs. Weasley, "Just make sure to stay out of trouble and you'll be fine."

"Speaking of trouble," said Stephanie, smirking slightly, "where are Fred and George?"

"At home, packing their trunks," she replied, taking another gulp of tea. Carol gave Stephanie a stern look and said, "What a coincidence, isn't that what you're supposed to be doing?"

"Almost done with it mum," Stephanie lied, beginning to retreat from the kitchen. She gave her mother a wink from the door, saying, "but you know me, such a procrastinator. Maybe I'll wait until the morning to finish." Stephanie quickly turned from the kitchen and ran up the staircase, knowing her mum would yell at her for the smart remarks she had made.

Stephanie was about to enter her bedroom when a loud thumping noise began to make its way towards her, coming closer and closer to where she stood. She glanced around the hall for any sign of what was causing the racket, but nothing was there. It took Stephanie a few minutes to realize that a harsh breathing was coming from over her shoulder. It made her laugh inwardly.

"If you want to scare me, you're going to have to be much quieter than that," teased Stephanie, turning around to face the source of the sharp intake of breath.

"I was being quiet," a voice hissed, "It's not fair that you have ears like a fox." With a tiny clink, a short boy with dark chocolate hair appeared before Stephanie, his big brown eyes gazing bitterly at his older sister. Nicholas was the baby of the family, the one that always got out of trouble, the one that was never yelled at, and the one that whined until he got what he wanted. "How are you so stealthy? You don't even use stupid bracelets," he stated, giving the bracelet he held a hard tap with his hand.

"Uh-oh," said Stephanie in mock fear, her hand covering her mouth, "you're going to be in trouble when mom finds out you used her bracelet."

"Give me a break," said Nick pleadingly, "an invisible bracelet is the best I can do to scare you."

"Then become invisible again and leave me alone," warned Stephanie, giving her brother a light push away from her. Nicholas stuck his tongue out before running back to his room a few doors down. When Stephanie finally entered her room, she was surprised to find two red haired boys by her open window, throwing a toy snitch back and forth to one another.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked happily, quickly closing the door behind her, "your mum told me that you both were at home, packing your trunks."

"We were. But that was so boring, so we decided to hitch a ride with some Muggle," Fred stated, yawning to emphasize his point. "An awfully nice bloke, too many nose hairs though."

Fred and George Weasley had been best friends with Stephanie since they were in diapers. Living not too far from each other, they were impossible to separate; wherever one was, the other two were not far behind. When Stephanie started staying with her uncle, Fred and George came along for the adventure. That is, once they finally convinced their mother they wouldn't do anything to embarrass her or their father. But it was impossible for them not to cause havoc when the three were together and alone, roaming the streets of Diagon alley.

They both had inherited their parents red hair and stocky figures, along with a few freckles that lined their nose and cheeks. Fred and George were identical down to the last wrinkle that lined the tips of their mouths. If Stephanie didn't know the two for so long, it would have been impossible for her to tell them apart.

"Can you believe we're leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow?" said Stephanie, jumping onto her bed and stuffing a pillow under her head. Fred tossed the toy snitch he was playing with onto a pile of broken gadgets, and took a seat at the foot of her bed next to her legs.

"Freedom is only a night away," George, said excitedly, as he began to dig through one of Stephanie's dresser drawers.

"Hey, I could have something really personal in there," Stephanie yelled playfully, "like a diary or—or a secret letter."

"Pshh, and when did you start hiding stuff from us," George answered back as he continued to go through the drawer, not even bothering to lift his head. Stephanie huffed lightly as she picked herself off her bed and walked towards her closet across the room.

"Did you get anything new?" asked Fred, as he jumped up and followed her.

"Obviously, did you even have to ask?" Stephanie replied, opening her closet door. George rushed quickly to the closet, leaving the drawer he had been sifting through open, as Stephanie began to push clothes out of her way, moving her body towards the center. Stephanie waited until George had finally tucked himself into the tight fit closet and closed the door behind him before speaking.

"Stand closer together," Stephanie whispered. The three moved in tighter and towards the center of the closet. Stephanie looked up at the ceiling and muttered, "amazingly clean." The ceiling above them clicked and began to move apart leaving a giant gap where the ceiling once was. The little piece of flooring they were standing on slowly broke from the rest of the floor and rose quickly into the gap above them. The platform fitted perfectly inside of the open ceiling, leaving the three in complete darkness.

"Let there be light," Fred yelled, nudging Stephanie in the ribs to make her laugh along.

"Must you say that every bloody time we are left in the dark?" Stephanie asked as she blindly searched for a Muggle object, a flashlight if she could remember the name correctly.

"Yes I do," said Fred as a light began to shine in his face, "but if you could be so kind, I would really appreciate not going blind just yet." Stephanie placed the flashlight on a string that hung from the ceiling, allowing the hidden room to be filled with light. The room was the size of a small bedroom, and included a large sofa, a little table, and shelves that lined the entire room. On the shelves, crates separated many items into categories such as 'small rockets', 'large rockets', 'candy that affects the body', 'candy with funny tastes', 'small things that blow up', 'large things that blow up', and 'entertainment'. George decided to take a seat on the sofa while Fred began to go though one of the boxes labeled 'entertainment', placing anything he found interesting to the side. Stephanie found a few more flashlights and scattered them around the room for more light.

"It amazes me that your parents haven't found this room yet," George mentioned to Stephanie from across the room.

"Well when my uncle built it, he knew that my parents would _never_ find my closet the least bit amazing or clean," Stephanie laughed. A few years back, Stephanie had told her uncle that her parents were taking away everything he was giving her from his joke shop. He was so appalled by what she had told him, that he decided to build her a hidden room above her bedroom to ensure everything he gave her would be kept safe.

"Now where did I put it?" Stephanie said to herself. She began to rummage through a large pile of objects in the far corner of the room, throwing items that had no importance to her at the moment over her head.

"What the hell is this?" George asked, holding up a flat, rubber item that Stephanie had thrown. Stephanie turned, looking for a moment at it, before continuing her search.

"It's called a whoopee cushion," she replied, "you fill it up with air and it makes a fart noise when someone sits on it."

"Are these things the best that a Muggle can do," Fred tutted, grabbing the whoopee cushion from George and looking at it intently, "They need more help than I thought."

"Ahh, here it is," Stephanie exclaimed as she stood up again, clutching a long, thin object in her small hands.

"No way," George smirked, "you've got an 'eye of the beholder'."

"Uncle just gave it to me, right before I left his shop to come back home," Stephanie said proudly. She handed the rocket over to George, who examined every detail before handing it off to Fred. It was a dark maroon color, with golden stripes that lined a trail from its nose to the fins. In black letters, Eye of the Beholder was painted on its side; the ink twinkled as light cascaded upon it.

"These things are amazing," Fred said in awe, "say a name before it takes off and WHAM—off it goes, chasing after that person until it runs out of juice." Fred looked up at Stephanie and continued, "and _why_ haven't you used it yet?"

"Thought I'd save it for someone special," Stephanie replied. She gave a quizzical look before saying, "does Hogwarts check your bags before you go in?"

"Doubt it, Dumbledore is too trusting to have trunks searched," George said. Fred stood up and handed the rocket back to Stephanie, "bring it with you, we're bound to find one person that'll drive us bonkers."

"FRED—GEORGE, I know you two are here," Mrs. Weasley screamed from below them, "best hurry out or you'll be walking home."

"Our mums must have had a nice talk," George whispered as the three tiptoed toward the moving platform, "I thought mum would kill us if she found out we were here."

"Maybe she's not comfortable with the whole killing in front of my mum concept—yet," Stephanie replied. She grabbed a small rocket from a basket by the platform before she muttered the password and the three arrived back in Stephanie's tightly packed closet. George peeked through a small crack in the door, ensuring no one was around, and then proceeded into Stephanie's bedroom.

"What are you going to do with that?" George asked curiously when he noticed the rocket in Stephanie's hand.

"Oh," smirked Stephanie, tossing the rocket back and forth between her hands, "A few of the village boys need to be taught a lesson."

"And what lesson are you going to teach them?" asked Fred, eying her suspiciously.

"Not to mess with 'the crazy Leone girl'," replied Stephanie.

"There you two are," Mr. Weasley said arriving in Stephanie's doorway with Ralph behind him. Stephanie quickly shoved the rocket under her quilt but winced when she heard a snap as one of the fins parted with the body. "Thought I'd find you in here," Mr. Weasley continued, "Your mother says it's time for us to leave, there's a lot that needs to be done before tomorrow."

"See you later, Steph," Fred and George said in unison as they exited her room, pausing at her door to show their remorse over the now useless rocket. As they arrived downstairs, Mrs. Weasley could be heard nagging loudly and harshly; Mr. Weasley laughed as he turned to Ralph.

"So, you'll be over tomorrow to look at that Ford?" he asked.

"Yep, I'll be there," Ralph assured. Mr. Weasley gave Stephanie a small pat on the back before leaving the Leone house with Mrs. Weasley and the twins. Ralph glanced around Stephanie's room, adding before he left, "Best have your room clean before you go to bed."

"I will dad," Stephanie replied as she picked up where she left off by shoving more books into her Hogwarts trunk and tossing the broken rocket from under her quilt back into her closet. As Stephanie fell asleep that night, she began to think of Hogwarts. Was she ready for a school that would test her magical abilities? A horror struck her at the thought of being a squib. She had loved the Muggle School her parents had put her in and had made quite a few friends in her classes. But she didn't want to be a Muggle; she wanted to be a witch. _'I'll fight the entire school to become a witch. I'll hex them into smithereens.' _She paused as her head began to ache_. 'I have to be a witch,'_ was her last thought before drifting off into a peaceful sleep that would be over too soon, when her father would wake her for her first day at Hogwarts.


	2. Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

**Getting Away With Mischief**

**written by:** OneoftheWeasleys

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Chapter Two: Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

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Mondays were always the busiest days for the London train station. Businessmen and women ran to and from trains and mothers nearly yanked the arms off of their children as they pulled them through the crowds. There wasn't a person in sight that was not rushing from here to there. But in the midst of all of the bustling and train whistles and whines from children, the Leone family stood huddled closely together, not far from the hidden platform 9 and 3/4.

Stephanie found herself stuck beside her mother and under the constant harassment of a mother's duty to 'fix' their child's hair and clean the smudges of dirt from their faces. Her father spoke quietly to Nicholas, no doubt trying to bribe him to not complain. She could tell this by the way Nick's whiny face brightened after her father stood up straight and glanced down at his watch.

"Mum," Stephanie complained, batting away her mother's hand, "a ponytail doesn't have to be perfect." Carol rolled her eyes and in defeat, placed her hands inside of her coat pockets. Ralph looked down at his watch one last time, saying, "It's time to go kids!"

"Alright, Robert," began Carol, turning to the oldest of her children, "watch after Stephanie for me. She's a little scared, even if she doesn't admit it."

"For the last time mum, I'm not scared," said Stephanie with more annoyance.

"I won't let her leave my sight, mum," Robert said, an evil grin playing across his face. _What a great brother!?_ Stephanie thought bitterly. Robert was going into his third year at Hogwarts and was one of the most popular boys there. He was a tall, with black hair and dark eye that entranced many girls, one's that he bragged about constantly. Stephanie could not help but glare at him out of jealousy. She knew she would never be as popular as her brother. She would always just be 'his little sister'.

Robert gave his parents a hug goodbye before taking the trolley that held his trunk and his owl, Leslie, and continuing through the wall that hid the Hogwarts Express.

"Now you listen here" began Carol, wagging a skinny finger at Stephanie, "if I get one letter from Dumbledore stating that you've been causing trouble or—"

"Mum, don't worry, I'll be a good girl," cut in Stephanie with a very sneaky smile. Carol didn't believe her daughter but she had no time to argue as Ralph hissed that Stephanie was going to miss the train. Stephanie kissed her parents goodbye and the two Disapparated away before her eyes.

In a hurry, Stephanie pushed her trolley towards the magical barrier and waited until a large group of annoying on-lookers passed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If she was going to hit the wall, she surely didn't want to see it coming.

With a running start, she went head first into the brick barrier and thankfully felt cold air wisp passed her face. When she opened her eyes, a dazzling red train stood in front of her. Large puffs of smoke billowed out above the students as they hurried around, greeting old friends and trying to get onto the train before it left. From the corner of her vision, two redheaded boys caught Stephanie's eye and she quickly pushed her trolley towards them.

"About time you showed up," Fred said as Stephanie, breathless, stopped in front of him.

"We thought for a moment that you left us out of a master plan for your grand entrance onto the platform," added George.

"Me? Leaving my best mates out of a prank?" asked Stephanie, chuckling slightly as she continued, "that is just crazy thinking."

"Excuse George," grinned Fred, wrapping an arm around his twin, "I believe he is still a bit ill from the dungbombs at last night's supper." He laughed, adding, "Those fumes were pretty strong."

"Next time we know that five dungbombs is one too many for our kitchen," said George. The twins helped Stephanie get her trunk onto the train just before the loud sharp whistle blew, a last warning for all students not wanting to miss the Hogwarts Express.

The three made their way onto the Hogwarts Express as another loud whistle echoed and the train began to leave the station. The corridors filled with both new and old students as they waved goodbye to their families and blew final kisses. Stephanie followed Fred and George into an empty compartment and took a seat next to the window. She gave a wave to a random family, feeling a bit left out of the family farewells.

"My mum keeps insisting that I'm scared of Hogwarts," Stephanie began after the random family on the platform waved back to her in utter confusion. "She told Robert that he should keep a close eye on me. She's driving me bloody crazy. Robert is not a perfect child either, he just doesn't—well he just doesn't show it off his bad side in front of my parents."

"Who cares," said George, "let's just see him try to keep up with us this year." Stephanie laughed as she stretched out and lounged comfortably with her feet up on the seat opposite of her. As George and Fred began a game of exploding snap, Stephanie watched with glazed over eyes, her mind too filled with thoughts of what Hogwarts would be like and the many adventures that awaited her.

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Stephanie was awed as she stood in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Never, in a million years, had she imagined it to be so dazzling and extravagant. The classic style of the pillars and arched ceiling reminded her of the storybooks she read as a child that dealt with the ancient times when King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table ruled the lands. No words could describe and nothing could match the beauty of the architecture in the magnificent Hall. Stephanie was falling more and more in love with the Great Hall when she looked up and found the sky above, hosting the many stars she adored, clear and bright.

Four long tables divided Hogwarts student body into their houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. A large table at the front of the room was occupied by all of the Hogwarts professors except for one, which was Professor McGonagall. She stood in front of the rather large and nervous group of first years, holding a long list of names and a very dirty hat. She called a name, "Boyle, Jennifer," and a girl with long brown hair and freckles scurried to the front of the first years.

Taking a seat on the stool, the girl waited while the hat was placed on her head. After a few moments of complete silence, the hat's large seams opened into a mouth and yelled "Ravenclaw" for the Great Hall to hear. The table to the left cheered for their new member as she took a seat with her fellow Ravenclaw classmates.

Stephanie waited quietly as the process continued, with McGonagall yelling a name and a first year taking a seat on the rickety stool. Stephanie eyes wondered continuously around the Hall and she soon found where Robert was seated, surrounded by his many friends and one in particular that Stephanie fancied, Oliver Wood. But she wasn't the only one who had a crush on the boy with honey-colored eyes and dark brown hair, as Robert loved to tell her constantly. Stephanie came out of her lovely daydream when she realized Robert was sticking his tongue out at her for staring at his group, making her quickly focus her attention back on the sorting.

"I wish they would hurry with this sorting" Fred moaned from beside her. He held onto his stomach as a loud rumble echoed from his depths, "I am so hungry I could eat a hippogriff."

"I could eat two hippogriffs," George agreed.

"Please tell me we are almost to the L's," said Stephanie as she realized how many first years still stood around her. George shook his head.

"We are not even to the J's yet," remarked Fred, pointing to the boy in front of him, "Lee is still here." Lee Jordan, a short black boy with long dreadlocks turned around after hearing his name, shrugged, and focused his attention back on the sorting. Stephanie had attended the same Muggle school as Lee, and they soon became good friends after realizing that they were both from a wizard family. Stephanie began to bring Lee around her home, and soon Fred and George also became friends with Lee.

"What if the four of us don't get into the same house?" George asked quietly, after realizing that the sorting hat had called Gryffindor a few times.

"We'll get in the same house," Lee assured him, and not a second later his name was called. Stephanie watched anxiously as McGonagall placed the hat on Lee's head and stepped away. A few moments later the hat yelled Gryffindor, and Lee jumped off the stool, gave his friends the thumbs up, and walked quickly to the cheering Gryffindor table.

"If I don't get into Gryffindor," Stephanie paused as she continued to clap for Lee, "...I don't even want to think about it."

"I think my parents will disown me," Fred replied.

"It's not like they don't already," George stated with a smirk.

"We will get into Gryffindor," Fred said quickly and crossing his arms over his chest, as if that had settled it. Cocking an eyebrow, he continued, "Why wouldn't we?"

"Fred is right," George began, "we are brave, loyal, smart... well, not smart but that's only one strike against us."

"We couldn't possibly get into Hufflepuff because we are clearly not nice," Fred stated, his eyes begin to dance around the hall to locate the House tables.

"And Ravenclaw is for smarty pansies," George continued, his eyes shifting towards a table with the students dressed in black and blue robes.

"Then there is Slytherin...we would be the outcasts in that house," said Stephanie as shiver went through her spine as she looked at the Slytherin table, "a rather freakish bunch if I must say." Fred and George nodded their heads in agreement.

"Leone, Stephanie," Professor McGonagall called as a boy jumped off of the stool and ran to the Hufflepuff table.

"Well, here it goes," whispered Stephanie to Fred and George, "wish me luck." Stephanie quickly made her way to the front of the first years and took a seat on the stool. The last thing she saw was Fred and George making odd faces at her before the hat slipped over her eyes and left her in complete darkness.

"Ah...a little nervous are we?" the hat whispered into her ear. Stephanie didn't reply but it continued without an answer, "But you do not fool me. I know how competitive you are and I can see that jealousy outlines your personality and will easily poison your life."

_'What are you talking about?'_ Stephanie's stomach knotted up as the hat began to laugh eerily into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"My only advice to you – The one that will risk it all – Is to stay far from the path – That will make you fall. Keep in the light – Far from the depths – For if you strive for fame – You will be left companionless," the Hat whispered. Stephanie's heart was racing and fear pumped through her veins as her eyes darted around in the darkness of the Hat's inside.

It wasn't until it had yelled, "Gryffindor," and Professor McGonagall removed the hat from her head did she remember she was being sorted in front of all of Hogwarts. Stephanie jumped off of the stool and curiously glanced at the sorting hat that McGonagall held tight in her hand. After receiving an odd expression from McGonagall, Stephanie quickly stumbled towards her House table and took a spot next to Lee another first year, Angelina Johnson.

"What did the hat say to you?" Stephanie asked quietly to Lee as another girl was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Nothing too interesting," he replied in an undertone, "It said something about having _'the wit to be in Ravenclaw but the heart of a Gryffindor'_. Pure rubbish is what I say."

"Did he say the same thing to you?" questioned Stephanie, turning to Angelina.

"Kind of. It said I was brave but foolish when it came to important decisions," she answered. Her face looked rather upset as she continued, "that bloody hat doesn't know what it's talking about." Stephanie gave a small laugh and looked back over at the hat. Could she really believe what it said, or was it talking nonsense with rhymes?

The rest of the sorting went by pretty uneventful except for the last two, Fred and George, who tried to trick the sorting hat into believing that George was Fred. The hat soon gave up and sorted them both into Gryffindor, leaving the Great Hall in a fit of laughter. McGonagall did not look so happy as she took the hat from George, or was it Fred, and placed the stool and sorting hat off to the side of the room.

Professor Dumbledore, an elderly wizard with a long white beard that nearly reached the top of his kneecaps and blizzard blue eyes that shined behind a pair of ancient glasses, stood and put up his hands, silencing the Great Hall. The Headmaster of Hogwarts had a presence about him that any wizard or witch, young or old respected, even if he did dress in long purple robes that was embellished with large gold sparkles and a matching wizard's hat.

"It is a pleasure to have such a comedic bunch of first years this semester ("He hasn't seen anything yet," whispered Fred.) and I welcome each and every one of you back to a new school year at Hogwarts. I have only a few announcements to discuss before we begin our feast. The first is to warn all new students that the Forbidden Forest is of course forbidden to those not wishing to never have the delight of eating another feast. Secondly, please note that hexing your peers in the halls, whether it be as a joke or to cause harm will be dealt with very seriously. Last announcement before we start our wonderful feast is that Mr. Filch," Dumbledore waved his hand to the back of the hall where a man, with raggedy old clothes, stood slumping against the Great Hall doors. A cat that looked just as raggedy as him sat down by his feet with an evil look in her eyes.

Dumbledore continued, "has asked me to remind all students that dungbombs are forbidden in the hallways. If you have any questions about any other joke items allowed on the premises, there is a list posted on his door. Now, let's not delay our feast any longer." With a wave of his hand, every food item imaginable popped onto the empty platters in the middle of the tables. Stephanie's stomach gurgled as she quickly began to fill her plate with as much pork, potatoes, and every other food she could reach. She looked to her right where Fred sat and noticed he was already on his second plate. Angelina was positioned across from him with a look of disgust playing across her face.

"Do you even chew your food?" she asked after Fred started filling his plate for the third time. Fred looked up and glared at her as she continued, "or do you just swallow it all in one shot?"

"Well if you must know," he said setting down his plate and crossing his arms in front of him, "I was born with a special mouth. This mouth," he grinned widely, "is able to break down anything that is put into it. In a matter of seconds' food, steel, even gold, can be broken down. Now you must ask yourself, how much would you pay to kiss this _special _mouth of mine?"

Stephanie laughed along with George as Angelina rolled her eyes and retorted with, "I think the question you should be asking is how much does it cost for _you_ to have _me_ kiss that disgusting mouth?" Stephanie didn't know this Angelina character too well but she had a feeling that the girl's witty replies would make her a person that wouldn't be bad to have around.

At long last, the many plates of pork, roast pig, and potatoes faded into desserts which in turn disappeared from the middle of the tables and left everyone filled and tired. Dumbledore smiled at his many stuffed students and stood once more and spoke, "now that everyone is nice and full, let us end the night with our school song." And with a wave of his wand, the words of the school song shined brightly in midair:

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

"Wonderful, wonderful," Dumbledore applauded, a smile bigger than before, "now it is time for bed. First years please follow your house prefect, and may everyone have a good nights rest filled with many dreams of happiness." The Great Hall quickly began to empty, the students all drowsy and wanting to do nothing more but sleep.

Stephanie was eager to explore Hogwarts and wished that they could have arrived earlier to have time to venture around the grounds. It was all so magnificent: the cathedral styled halls, the thousands of moving pictures, and the Grand Staircase, where hundreds of staircases were stacked atop of each other and each with a mind of its own as they changed frequently.

When the first year Gryffindors arrived in their common room, none were willing to hear the lecture given by one of the prefects. When Stephanie was finally allowed to enter the first year girl's bedchamber, she quickly climbed into her bed and fell asleep without even a yawn.


End file.
